Epic Review: Artemis Fowl Series (8 books)

I've been meaning to write up this review for a while, but school has bogged me down of late.

Anyway, this series of 8 books is a gem.

I can't say much about the plot of more than the first book without getting into spoilers quickly, but in essence this series is about a child criminal mastermind who attempts to get gain by capturing a fairy and holding it ransom for its gold. He's not all bad; he has his reasons and motivations that come to light over the course of the books. Of course, the Fairies, who are actually a technologically advanced race living further down in the Earth, don't take the capture of one of their own lightly and quickly attempt a a rescue plan. The questions is, can they outwit Artemis Fowl?

Each book in the series gives the feel of a mystery become Fowl and others will hatch plans, but the reader won't be told all the details until later, so you have to attempt to figure out what is happening along the way. Each book gives you clues as the what may end up happening, but even so you as the reader are delighted to see that Artemis really does come up with clever plans. At the same time it is made clear that Artemis isn't infallible; he makes mistakes and pays for them. What's more, the characters in each of these series grow over time until you are really familiar with them and the changes they are working through.

Another quality element to the series is that each book is a self contained story. All you need to know is found within the book, although a greater enjoyment is gotten from reading the series in order. Each book also feels fresh. It's not easy to write two books about the same character and create a different theme and a different situation that includes different perils and unique situations, but the author, Eoin Colfer, manages just that. Only by the middle of the series did I catch on to certain things that the author does repeatedly, but it didn't bother me one bit. I also enjoyed how most characters kept reappearing in new situations; there's only one character I can think of that I thought I would see again, but didn't.

These stories make you laugh; they make you feel; and they make you think. What more can you ask from a book? My only regret is that the series is over. I recommend this series to everyone. They are relatively easy reads that are well worth the time it takes to read them.